What should China do when Japan & US conduct biggest ever military drill?

Are the exercises held in international waters? If so, why can't a third power just sail their ships into the middle of them? Freedom of navigation and all that says the high seas are open seas, no country can claim them, even temporarily.

Geographer said:

Are the exercises held in international waters? If so, why can't a third power just sail their ships into the middle of them? Freedom of navigation and all that says the high seas are open seas, no country can claim them, even temporarily.

Click to expand...

I suppose you can if you want to take the chance, but dont start crying if your ship is accidentaly sunk. HoweverI think theres a lot of guidelines established over many decades as to what is acceptable or unacepptable behaviour during declared military exercises between a group of countries in a designated area.

Geographer said:

Are the exercises held in international waters? If so, why can't a third power just sail their ships into the middle of them? Freedom of navigation and all that says the high seas are open seas, no country can claim them, even temporarily.

Click to expand...

My experience is that most nations will steer clear of military exercises. They are usually announced well in advance. And most nation will respect those boundaries.

There is nothing China can do as its ally North Korea's provocation is the cause of its present dilemma. To show they take the North Korean threats seriously, Japan and the US have every right to conduct naval exercises in the Sea of Japan; so too South Korea and the US in the international waters of the Yellow Sea. China has also carried out several naval exercises in the South China Sea, Yellow Sea and surrounding waters in recent times, and don't see why other navies cannot. As for the Russian aircraft, it just wants to observe the Japan/US naval exercise especially during its current spat with Japan over the Kurile Islands.

Advill

^^6 Exactly advill. Nothing more than old cold war tactics by the Russians.

I admire the courage of the Russian.
When the world hegemony of the aircraft carrier - the USS Kitty Hawk, swaggering, exercises in East Asia water, suddenly, the Russian SU-27, SU-24 passing over the USS Kitty Hawk, the aircraft carrier's sailors panicked.

We really do not know whether the US aircraft carrier panicked or it just wished that it could use its anti-aircraft weapons/missiles. Anyway, regretfully it appears that a "Cold War" could be resurrected in Asia, with various countries taking sides. What a great pity that past lessons are not learnt as provocations continue. There are no winners in an all out war, as both sides have got nukes.

maozedong said:

I admire the courage of the Russian.
When the world hegemony of the aircraft carrier - the USS Kitty Hawk, swaggering, exercises in East Asia water, suddenly, the Russian SU-27, SU-24 passing over the USS Kitty Hawk, the aircraft carrier's sailors panicked.

Click to expand...

You know what mao.. Did you ever serve on a USN CV? Where you there? Do you know what happened?

I served on 5 CVs..I never saw anyone panic about anything.

Panicked? No..upset and embarrassed? yes.

In 2000 the Russians overflew the carrier Kitty Hawk..unopposed. No alert aircraft were launched by the Kitty Hawk. Why? They saw the aircraft on radar but for some reason the alert 5 was not launched.

17 Oct 2000: While operating in the Sea of Japan Kitty Hawk was overflown by a pair of Russian aircraft, allegedly a Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer and Su-27 Flanker. The overflight purportedly surprised the ship, which failed to launch her alert aircraft in time to intercept the inbound Russians, due to communications errors. Additional flyovers occurred on 12 October and 9 November 2000, without the ship being surprised.

Click to expand...

The ship was overflown by Russians in 20006 but the aircraft were intercepted.

During the Cold war the Russian regularly overflew USN carriers. They were intercepted nearly always.

bd popeye said:

My experience is that most nations will steer clear of military exercises. They are usually announced well in advance. And most nation will respect those boundaries.

Click to expand...

Which makes the Russian interference and US/Japanese response all the more interesting. I agree that the exercises are a regular annual basis, but as I am sure you will agree, the nature and scale of them can vary considerably.

I understand that the main exercises this year are unusually large and were taking place in the South of Japanese Island Chain and simulated retaking captured Islands close to a major deep water channel regularly used by the PLAN to access the West Pacific. It that sense these exercises are being seen by Beijing as directed principally at them.

If Russia is able to disrupt part of the exercises by flying planes inside its airspace - then it means that part are also taking place in the North of Japanese territory and are doing things which Moscow sees as provocative.

That both powers are taking exception to this years exercisers, is I think a matter of considerable interest, not to mention concern.

^ I don't think we even know where the Russian aircraft were. You would think something significant must have happened for the US and Japan to suddenly halt their largest exercise ever in history -- and scramble fighter jets. There is definitely something not totally disclosed here.

The Russians are planning to build a navy base in the Southern Kurils that Japan claims. The exercises at least in part seems to be a threat against them.